Vote on GOP Obamacare alternative in doubt

Suddenly, a House vote on a Republican alternative to Obamacare seems less likely.

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) declined to commit to an alternative measure coming up for a vote this year but said GOP leadership is going to “continue to having conversations with our members” about items like tax reform and replacing President Barack Obama’s signature domestic legislation.

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House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) is holding a private meeting Friday with Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy of California and GOP Conference Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington about an Obamacare alternative. He has said in the past the bill would come up for a vote in 2014.

“You know, our old system had its problems, but my goodness, the president’s made our health care system 10 times worse,” Boehner said, in response to a question about whether the legislation would come up for a vote. “So we’re going to continue to go through a lot of ideas. You see our members have introduced 126 different ideas about how to fix Obamacare, about how to replace Obamacare.”

The Affordable Care Act was signed into law in 2010. The GOP offered an alternative when it was being debated in 2009.